RPS yesterday.

DJ

the RRP on these though is pretty high isnt it DJ, there is no doubt that its a pretty board and last years model performed really well, but, wow the price increase this year is steep.

NSP still sell cheaper boards (I think) but their new moto is "From your first board to first place" .. These boards are serious race boards for winning races on.. Both very light and very strong.. That comes at a price... Not sure that I like the pubic hair look myself..

DJ

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DavidJohn said..

DJ - did you have Crocs and sock ons? Is that a Melbourne thing

PS - just for the record I do like the look of the new NSPs

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ShireSUP said..

DJ - did you have Crocs and sock ons? Is that a Melbourne thing

No.....that's just a DJ thing

yea I like the look of them to actually, I just think that the price hike is significant.

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ShireSUP said..

DavidJohn said..

DJ - did you have Crocs and sock ons? Is that a Melbourne thing

Doesn't everyone wear socks with their Croc's.. sometimes..

DJ

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DavidJohn said..

ShireSUP said..

DavidJohn said..

DJ - did you have Crocs and sock ons? Is that a Melbourne thing

Doesn't everyone wear socks with their Croc's.. sometimes..

DJ

i think you may yet again start a trend DJ

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DavidJohn said..

ShireSUP said..

DavidJohn said..

DJ - did you have Crocs and sock ons? Is that a Melbourne thing

Doesn't everyone wear socks with their Croc's.. sometimes..

DJ

Sometimes that's all I wear

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PTWoody said..

DavidJohn said..

ShireSUP said..

DavidJohn said..

DJ - did you have Crocs and sock ons? Is that a Melbourne thing

Doesn't everyone wear socks with their Croc's.. sometimes..

DJ

Sometimes that's all I wear

With three socks I hope.

DJ

Back on topic...gonna give the 14 x 29 cocomat demo it's maiden run tomorrow morning.

Oh cant wait to hear the review on it.

back off topic.
hey ,you can get winter crocs with fur on the inside ,which negates the need for socks.i got a pair....they are awesome!

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waxer00 said..

back off topic.
hey ,you can get winter crocs with fur on the inside ,which negates the need for socks.i got a pair....they are awesome!

I have a pair.. They are awesome..

DJ

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DavidJohn said..

waxer00 said..

back off topic.
hey ,you can get winter crocs with fur on the inside ,which negates the need for socks.i got a pair....they are awesome!

I have a pair.. They are awesome..

DJ

choooiccce,obvious good taste

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gregc said..

Oh cant wait to hear the review on it.

OK so I spent an hour on it this morning in mixed conditions...from glassy flat to 15kn & 1ft bumps in p!ssing rain. Wasn't on top form myself after a crap week at work and a few late nights so I didn't flog it but here are some first impressions:

Board:
NSP/DC 14 x 29" in Coco/Carbon, stated volume 293litres (Thanks to Warwick at RPS for kindly letting me christen this board)

Finish & build quality:
Finish is top-notch, not a ripple or wave anywhere, skin feels hard and good. I don't mind the ginger-pubes-in-corn-syrup look of the coco mat, others might feel differently.

Stability:
a little bit of initial tip, very good secondary stab

Tracking:
Fantastic...quite a bit straighter outline than a lot of other big-volume 14s (that tend to be a bit rounder in the mid-section) translates to it being very easy to keep a heading

Turning:
Easy. Bit wider in the tail and harder rails back there. A lot easier turning than other big vol 14's I've been on - easier to step back and pivot (some of the other wide 14s can be pigs to turn)

Portage:
didn't hang it on my scale yet, NSP say a shade under 14kg and I reckon that'd be about right. Carrying back up a steep-ish hill this morning was dead easy, the strap handle helps with this (with the 14 x 30 HRS Falcon at about 6kg heavier I'd probably stop at least once)

Trim & performance:
The sweet spot for me was right about where the handle is, maybe toes an inch forward of the handle. This compared with the big up-front volume boards like the Falcon, Barks, Starbies etc where I'm usually stood well forward to set the tail trim right. I paddled on the flat water under the Beaumaris Bay cliffs for about half an hour to get the feel then poked out into about 15kn headwind and some chop to about 1ft. Upwind it was great...very well mannered, the nose shape is very calm and doesn't get pushed around like the sharper-bow boards do. Not much windage up front so it doesn't want to steer off the wind which is good (anyone ever paddled a coreban edge in a cross wind? ). Went side-on to the wind and chop for a bit, it was also good, a little bit twitchy but not corky. With a following breeze it picked up ripples easy and ran really nicely, stable and relaxed. Fast? dunno, I was hoping to benchmark against the rest of the local morning crew (I'm usually way, way last, it's just a matter of by how much) but they all stayed tucked up in their beds because it was a bit windy and raining a little. It certainly feels smooth and has a very flat tail wash which are probably good signs. I noticed a little flex in the board but only very slight (and to be fair anything I stand on flexes, this one is well up the stiffer end of the spectrum...if I were 20kegs lighter I don't reckon I'd feel any flex)

Overall a definite two thumbs up. I'll declare myself a bit of a DC fan, I had the original 14 x 30 Makaru proto (the yellow one with the blue stripes, bought from Dale)..this one feels somewhat like that board but a lot, lot better...narrower and a shade less vol but more stable and better mannered for sure. It'll be excellent for normal, east coast OZ conditions (ie wind, chop, a rare day of glass) and if you're at the taller/heavier end of paddlers you should look at this one...not to say it's just a big-boy board, if you were in the 85-100kg band I reckon it'd be a flyer. I haven't stuck my hand in my pocket yet but I'm sorely tempted, I'd choose it over the 14 x 30 Falcon. For super-cruiserweights or very heavy beginners staring out in race/touring boards maybe the big Falcon might win the day. I'm interested in trying it side-by-side with the new 14 x 29 Glide (when DJ's gets here) and it'd be well worth trying it out on a decent downwinder.

Thanks Stu.

DJ

Thanks for that great review. I reckon I might stick with the Fanatic 14 either the new one or keep my one (its only 9 months old as it is )

Come, check out and demo Sandy Beach HQ's new blue carbon 12'6 NSP DC raceboard!






Just came in from my first session of many on it,
I think i have found my new love!

Come down any day between 9-3 ask for Mike or James and we will get you out on the water with this beauty

Just to add to the review above - I tried out the DC14 for a few hours today.
This is my first go on any 14 footer and I wasn't sure what to expect. I know it's more a downwinding/touring board but I thought it would be cool to try it out surfing the little waves in the river. It was low tide with waves about 1 foot, peaking out wide but only breaking when they drained out in 6" of water and ran really fast across the bank - so an interesting test, but maybe not a fair one.
Like Stu's comment, when I first jumped to my feet it did feel a little tippy, but only to a point. It's actually pretty hard to tip this thing to the point of no return and I'd have to say it felt really comfy after a 5 minutes or so.
Turning and catching waves was a breeze. The centre strap handle was a bit disconcerting when switching to surf stance, so I tended to stand just aft of it and avoid getting tangled up with it. This didn't seem to noticeably affect the trim or ease of catching waves.
On the unbroken wave the board was very well behaved, kept the speed, didn't catch rails, etc.
Racing the little barrels across the sandbank was great fun, but sometimes I just couldn't find a sweet spot to get the acceleration I was after. Reflecting on this now, I think this was because the back of the board was way back in the foam and getting bogged down without me realising.
At no time did the board slip out or become squirrelly - nice rail/fin/tail combo.
The board had a great durable finish and I thought it looked pretty cool.
Although I didn't like the centre handle whilst actually riding the board - the handles were great otherwise, especially putting the board on the roof racks and generally moving it around easily.
I had a ball with the board - and so it gets the thumbs up from me too.

This year, IMHO more than any other year in the last 4 years, board design has just taken quantum leaps forward. My most notables so far are these DC boards, the new Naish range, specifically the Manas for surfing. The Fanatics (I will always love my 9'2" Allwave as it saved what little is left of my questionable sanity)with their constant development and lastly the the emergence of the JPs. I could watch their team riders all day. There is now seriously no point for an older guy like me to go back to practise my prone surfing as at my age, anything that I'm capable of doing is possible on a SUP. Well done to the industry in general for listening to its client base. That's why so many people are taking up the sport in one of it's many forms. I find it really interesting and very exciting. Apologies to the manufacturers I've not mentioned.
PS somebody should look at importing or making Simmons style SUPs in Australia. The L41 web site and the video gallery is amazing. They look like they'd be perfect Indo barrel boards because of the speed it appears they can generate.